Hillsboro Board of Education discusses building projects

Regular June meeting date moved back one week

Priorities for the Hillsboro City School District’s next large building project were discussed during a special board meeting Monday morning, superintendent Tim Davis said.

He said the board met with officials from Woolpert Inc. and discussed a possible auditorium, the cost of placing baseball and softball fields at the high school/middle school campus, and renovating the Cassner Building at the former school site near Richards Memorial Field, which serves as a football lockerroom. Davis said a field house, which past plans called for being placed alongside the concession stand/restroom facility at the track/soccer complex, was also discussed.

“We just kind of wanted to get estimates of the costs, get some ideas and look at priorities for our next big building project,” Davis said. “We’re just trying to get some information for our next plan for things we need.”

The superintendent said that for the time being, there is no specific order of what projects might get done first, no timeline for when the work might be done, and no complete cost projections.

He said the board plans to meet with Woolpert officials again in July.

The board voted to approve one of two easements it was sent from American Electric Power for high voltage power lines the utility company plans run across the two school campuses, according to Davis.

He said he was not sure why the board received two sets of easement plans from AEP, but that the board approved one that would have lines running in front of the Barnhouse Center and between the high school/middle school and elementary school campuses.

The lines would be placed on 80-foot tall poles, Davis said.

The board also changed the date of its regular June meeting from Monday, June 18 to Monday, June 25 at 7 p.m. The board had previously moved the meeting from its normal site at the board offices to an elementary school cafeteria so there would be more room. The board plans to all recognize volunteers that helped with the After Prom Party and HHS Athletic Gala at the meeting.